From 1991-2001, Cris wrote the 1300
page book Musical Mathematics: A Practice in the Mathematics of
Tuning Instruments and Analyzing Scales. It is both a masterful
historic document and a sound scientific document, from which generations
of musicians and instrument makers can continue to draw sustenance
and gain deep insight. Above all, it constitutes a bridge between
the realms of Art and Science.

Chrysalis

Invented and built by Cris Forster,
the Chrysalis was his first concert-sized instrument. The instrument's
design was inspired by a huge, round, stone-hewn Aztec calendar.
Cris thought to himself, "What if there were a musical instrument
in the shape of a wheel? And what if this wheel had strings for
spokes, could spin, and when played, would sound like the wind?"
Thus, the basic idea of the Chrysalis was born. Built in 1975-76,
the Chrysalis has two sides, or two circular soundboards, and 82
strings on each side. The wheel, which sits on the crest of a wave-like
stand, may be freely spun in either direction.